


Bitter Madwoman

by hanaxsongs



Series: Persona 5 Oneshots [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Persona 5 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26195071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanaxsongs/pseuds/hanaxsongs
Summary: A tragic event causes Rumi to awaken to a new power. P5R Spoilers where Takuto's and Rumi's roles are reversed.
Relationships: Maruki Takuto/Rumi
Series: Persona 5 Oneshots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895767
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	Bitter Madwoman

Warm lights illuminated the patrons that sat below them, plush seats and tables draped in beautiful white decorated the room alongside vases of flowers and potted trees, the voices of happy couples and the clattering of cutlery on plates from hungry diners echoed from the ivory-coloured walls, golden accented windows framed the Tokyo skyline as lights from buildings and cars twinkled in the murky blue-black haze of night as the full moon rose above them. 

Takuto smiled as he watched Rumi laugh, a light blush appearing on his cheeks as he chuckled alongside her. They were at an outing together, their time apart too long for either of their liking as their commitments pulled them apart, moments between them before shared only by fleeting meetings in the cafeteria they shared before going about their education. They had missed each other, yet when the shackles of work and obligations loosened, they both jumped at the chance of arranging a formal date between them, and what better date then the anniversary of their relationship?

They had also met for another occasion: the meeting of Takuto's parents. Four years into their relationship it felt appropriate to meet the ones who raised Takuto, as he had met Rumi's parents a couple of months ago, a courtesy that was suggested by Rumi herself before they parted towards their own personal obligations. 

“I can’t- I can’t believe that happened!” Rumi laughed, clearly entertained by the tale Takuto told of her of his childhood, giggling between breaths as Takuto rubbed his neck in sheepish embarrassment, having told her a tale of a camping trip gone awry. 

"Yeah," Takuto said sheepishly, yet he peaked a look at Rumi as she continued to laugh. The way her red hair shone under the light, how captivating her eyes were as she laughed, how her cheeks puffed as she laughed; Takuto thought she looked captivating, an angel on Earth, his treasure as she reached for her glass of wine, having calmed as she took a sip from the cup. "I'm sure that the deer was more startled than me. My parents were less than impressed with me going off on my own into the woods at night, even if I was desperate for some privacy,"

"I'm sure they were just looking out for you," Rumi rationalised, fiddling the simple apple-like pendant on her neck that Takuto had given her that night, "Though to be honest, you were a lot braver than I would have been. I remember being so scared of bats that would swoop by our tent. My parents would insist they wouldn't get in but, little old me would still be deathly afraid of them,"

"Oh? I thought you would have at least fought them off," Takuto jokes, and Rumi pulls an unimpressed face.

"So, your father's a no-nonsense man who would fight a deer in order to protect his son," Rumi summarised as she curled her finger around the chain of her pendant, still amused by the camping story Takuto had told her, "What about your mom?"

"My, mom? Well," Takuto blinked, gazing in thought, "Oh, my mom! Well... she's... interesting,"

"Like all mothers,"

"Yes, like all mothers. She's, uh, trendy? Unlike my father, my mother tends to be ore in the know when it comes to trends and technology, always insisting I go into computing or the sciences when the Internet was still in its infancy, though I remember my dad needed to be thoroughly convinced that the investment of a home computer wasn't a total waste," Takuto explained. 

"I bet he regrets his perspective as technology continues to improve," Rumi said almost mischievously, and Takuto chuckles. 

"Maybe, I don't know. He still insists that traditional pen and paper working is more efficient, though he doesn't deny the new business opportunities the technology we have now has given him and his company. Honestly, I'm still surprised he allowed me to pursue a degree in psychology, being the traditional man, he is… maybe he’s finally catching up with the rest of the world,"

"Oh, speaking of psychology," Rumi piqued as their food arrived in front of them, the two thanking their waiter before turning back to their conversation, "How's your research paper on Cognitive Psience coming along?"

"It's coming along fine, actually," Takuto smiles as he digs into his meal, "I'm just finishing up compiling and referencing sources for the current chapter I'm working on. It's such a pain sometimes, you have no idea how many journals I have open on both my laptop and my desk,"

"A lot," Rumi guesses jokingly, and Takuto laughed. 

"How 'a lot' are you talking about?"

"Oh, I was thinking about, 'a hurricane of paper and books scattered around the room as you try to find the paper you are actually holding in your hand' a lot,"

"That's... not really far from the truth," Takuto admitted embarrassingly, and Rumi laughed, "You really know me,"

"I mean, we spent a lot of study nights together,"

"That is also true,"

“But” Rumi started, now intensely looking at Takuto, her eyes glowing with earnest and appreciation, “This whole ‘Cognitive Psience’ research… A whole new field of psychology… It’s...”

“I know,” Takuto breathed, “It’s certainly interesting, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “It certainly is,”

* * *

Siren lights danced dizzyingly against the heavy darkness that seemed to encompass the narrow neighbourhood that Takuto’s parents lived in, Rumi taking a sip from the warm cup of water she nestled in her hands as she looked worryingly at the crime scene in front of her.

Takuto had yet to emerge from the house, yet Rui could not blame him. He was the one who first stumbled upon the obscene, visceral aftermath of a robbery gone horribly, horribly wrong. Rumi gagged remembering the sour, metallic smell of blood, the amount of it. The pool; it seemed to inch towards them, Takuto just standing there, mouth agape and skin pale and eyes wide and- 

She swallowed the bile that rose from the back of her throat, quickly sipping another gulp of the water that the paramedics had given her, pulling the comforting blanket they provided her tighter as she stared down at the worn concrete of the road. It wasn’t her who’d had called the police, but a neighbour who was thankfully up at the time after hearing gunshots, though she would have wished they had called sooner…

“Miss Tanaka,” a small, petite woman in a paramedic uniform approached her, “How are you doing? Is there anything you might need?”

“Takuto,” she thought as she looked at the nurse with a dull expression, feeling nothing but numb. Her chest was hollow, the rhythmic feel of her heart was intangible to her, and she begged silently that this was some sort of sick, twisted nightmare. That Takuto’s parents were still alive, that Takuto was beside her, carefree and romantic in what felt like an age ago. 

“I-”

A scream that was not hers rang from the house; Rumi instinctively jolted onto her feet as the paramedic ran back in alongside police. Thrashing could be heard, the sound of broken pottery and glass and falling objects echoed out from the doorway as more personnel went in. Rumi wanted to ask someone what had happened. Had they caught one of the perpetrators? Had they found another relative miraculously alive? Yet when she saw the familiar curl of hair her stomach sunk as Takuto was dragged outside into the cold, February air, screaming and howling in frantic despair as police officers and personnel alike restrained him, flailing about in their grip as they tried their best to escort him back into one of the ambulances. 

“Takuto!” Rumi screamed after her love, dropping the cup in her hands, the metal clanging onto the faded asphalt as she rushed to be at his side, the blanket that hugged her shoulders desperately clinging onto her small frame as she ran through the crowd of strangers, only to be stopped by a police officer who cut the path before her. 

“Ma’am, I need you to calm down-”

“Calm down?! Calm down?!” Rumi snapped, denial swelling into anger as she shouted at the officer who impeded her path towards Takuto, “My boyfriend’s parents are dead, and he’s currency screaming like a lunatic, how can I calm down if he’s suffering?! I need to be at his side, I need-”

“Ma’am, please be assured that your partner will be safely escorted to a nearby hospital,” the officer informed her with professional calmness, his gaze sympathetic towards the redhead as Rumi stared at him with hateful eyes.

Seconds passed between them before Rumi sighed defeatedly, her shoulders relaxing as she looked sadly passed the officer to see the paramedics finally able to escort Takuto into a nearby ambulance, one of them poking their head out of the vehicle, but not before making eye contact with the solemn redhead, giving her quick, pitiful look before closing the doors fully, Rumi watching wearily as the man she loves being sped away. She stood there, long after the red and white vehicle disappeared amongst the houses, and clutched the blanket tightly around her, allowing herself to be escorted by the officer away from the scene of the crime.

* * *

The claustrophobic room was dark, the only light that illuminated the words were from the desk lamp that buzzed lazily over the papers in her hands as Rumi began to read the familiar handwriting of Takuto. Her fingers were coiled around the lined paper of his notes, back hunched while she sat as she intensely scanned the pages for anything that could help her in rescuing Takuto from his trance-like state. She was desperate. They had told her - assured her even - that Takuto would come out of this paralysed state, that they were putting him through treatments to coax him out of his traumatised state; but that was weeks ago, and with no improvements to his condition, Rumi desperately turned to his research. 

Cognitive Psience, the study of the supernatural foundations of the human mind. Rumi remembers while in university together Takuto expressed a fascination, often sending articles and stories about the untapped potential of the human mind, the perception of the world around them, and the fascination of concepts that were totally 'fake' becoming 'real' in the public's eye. Though the human mind had been explored countless of different ways in numerous case studies and experiments, this field was something new, something uncharted, and Rumi could not deny the spark Takuto had in his eyes when discussing the possible applications this new research could help in the field of therapy. 

She continued to flick through the pages, scrambling in trying to find anything that could help Takuto, almost tearing the pages as she turns them, yet when she reaches the blank, back of the notebook she felt like crying in frustration, slamming the book closed and tossing it away among other similarly bound books, and she buries her face in her hands.

Days. She spent so many days reading and rereading his notes, trying to find something that could help her, yet the despair and grief she had been running away from all this time had finally caught up to her, gripping her throat as the sobs she choked on as she allowed hot tears to roll down her pale face. The sleepless nights that continually plagued her, the aching loneliness she felt when her hand drifted into Takuto's space on the bed. Even cuddling his shirts, inhaling his soft, familiar musky scent did nothing to ease the stress and desperation she felt knowing Takuto wasn't there with her. She missed how sweet and gentle his laugh was, his warm eyes glimmered under the light of the setting sun, the comforting feeling of security and ease when his arms were wrapped around her. She missed him, and her heart ached more each time she defeatedly wandered back into Takuto's hospital room to find the man she loved now reduced to a hollow, staring statue of his former self. 

Her head ached as much as her heart, Rumi groaned, reflexively reaching one of her hands to massage her eyes. The headaches she got from lack of sleep were quickly becoming commonplace as she continued her search for anything that could salvage even a fragment of her lover, a dull thud pulsated in her skull alongside her heavy eyelids and stinging eyes. She felt sick, she felt awful, but she needed to keep going, she thought to herself, she needed to-

A sharp, more forceful pain shot through her head, Rumi yelped in pain as she clutched a fistful of her red hair. She felt sick, dizzying nausea taking over, her vision swimming as she splayed her other hand onto the table, and she swore she could see something hover near her; a foreign voice echoed in her mind, calling to her. 

“H-Hello?” she called out into the empty room; her voice weak as she tried to fight through the oppressive exhaustion that clawed away at her sanity. She got up from her seat, immediately regretting her decision as her legs wobbled weakly under the weight of her small body. A hand on the desk as she called out again, "Hello? Is… is anyone there?"

"...o...mu...eek...e..."

She gripped her head again, her surroundings flashed before her eyes. That voice. There was something. Something behind her. Something _with_ her. Yet when she turned again there was nothing but scattered papers and silence.

* * *

“Hello Takuto, how are you feeling today?”

Light shone through the wide windows of the hospital room, the slight sterile smell permeated throughout, only tempered with the fresh scent of flowers - daisies and hydrangeas - that sat next to Takuto on his bedside table. Rumi sat next to him in a small, sturdy wooden chair, a cheery smile on her face, yet her eyes betrayed her hidden anxiety as they darted around Takuto’s body for any sign of recovery. 

It has been more than three months ever since the robbery-turned-murder of his parents. Each day Rumi never once failed to visit Takuto in his room. Each time she arrived she would sit on the same chair that had never left its spot beside the bed, and each time she would talk to Takuto as he stirred from his sleep into the same, empty stare she had to grow used to. She would talk about mundane topics, updates on his parent’s murder case, her life outside the hospital walls, and all Takuto would do, day in and day out was stare blankly while she talked. 

She hated it. Hated out absent his eyes were. Hated his still, vacant expression as he stared into oblivion as if he himself was staring at the inner workings of the universe. He was alive, as much as his beating heart would correct anyone, but he wasn’t the man she loved; he wasn’t Takuto, just a living mockery of him as she rested her pale hand on his lap, trying to seek any comfort she could get out from this hideous state, yet knowing she was get nothing from him. 

“I’m doing okay,” Rumi smiled desperately as she continued her one-sided conversation, a skill she mastered while watching over Takuto, “And Shibusawa is doing well. He’s up to… well… Shibusawa things, as usual,”

No response. 

“And I was looking through some of your research notes as well,” Rumi said, unconsciously reaching for the bags under her eyes that were masked with concealer, “you were always talking about that ‘Cognitive Psience’ stuff to me, and while I still don’t quite understand it, everything you’ve gathered so far in the few years has been such an eye-opener, and possibly has recontextualised the entire science as a whole! You’ve really outdone yourself, Takuto,”

No response. 

“They um… They also caught the culprits who took away your family. They’re in police custody right now,”

No response. 

“I-”

“Rumi… f… amil...y,”

Rumi scrambled closer towards Takuto. Was she hallucinating? 

“Takuto?”

She swore he spoke. 

“F...ami-”

Takuto suddenly lurched forward from his sitting position, running his fingers through his brown hair and clutching tufts of it tightly as he squeezed his eyes tightly, as if in extreme pain. 

“No!” he screamed before Rumi could act, thrashing his head side to side as he wailed. Rumi rushed next to him, almost getting hit as he struggled in the bed, Takuto paying no heed to his surroundings. It was almost as if he were back at the scene of the crime all those months ago, having seen the butchered corpses of his parents… Rumi swallowed sickly as she pushed the intercom, crying out for a nurse to help her subdue the flailing Takuto, “I can’t… this can’t be happening!”

“Takuto, Takuto it’s okay, it’s going to be okay!” Rumi pleaded to Takuto, trying to calm him down as she put a hand on his back, the best she could currently do as she desperately waited for a nurse to assist her in pacifying her traumatised lover. 

“No! Mother, father! Why?! Why?” he wailed, clearly a world away from her, trapped in a never-ending nightmare where all that encompassed it was the dishevelled corpses of his parents and the sour, metallic smell of blood. Rumi could not help but pity him; it was as though he was a scared child, and the touches of comfort that she gave to him was all she could do as Takuto continued to beg for the Gods to return his family to him once more. 

_“...ou...want...”_

The familiar migraine returned, Rumi clutching her hair in pain as the familiar sensation ripped once more. The headaches were becoming more frequent, the woman explaining them away as the result of the added stress of worrying about Takuto and her own responsibilities, having just finished getting her psychiatric degree after a gargantuan round of exams and sleepless nights. However, the intensity she felt at that moment was great; as if reality around her warped for a heartbeat. She uttered a curse under her breath. After calming Takuto down, she really needed to pick up some painkillers, she noted to herself. 

The nurse came soon after and sedated Takuto, Rumi felt sickly as his thrashes became less and less energetic before he was medically lulled into sleep once again. The nurse gave a shy nod to Rumi before retreating out of the room as soon as he laid still on the bed, and Rumi was left on her own with Takuto’s sleeping form once again. 

“Takuto,” she murmured once silence fell onto the room once again, approaching Takuto’s sleeping form to stroke his fluffy hair from his face. It was getting harder and harder to bear seeing him like this, a tear rolling down her face as she continued to tenderly curl the locks of his hair gently between her fingers. She wanted to free him, free him from the vicious cycle that was brought on by the memories of his trauma. Could he even recover from this? She wasn’t so sure, cases like this, where the patient was too far gone… Rumi doubts Takuto could be saved, it would take a miracle to-

_“...seek...me...”_

Another headache, Rumi squeezed her eyes in pain as it came and went, the same intensity as before; yet the voice. It was… calling to her? Rumi laughs at herself out of comfort more than humour. Great, she too is going mad. 

“Rumi?”

Rui reacts to Takuto’s voice, his eyes still closed in an uneasy sleep.

“I’m..hurt...make...it stop...I want to…forget...”

“Forget?” she mumbles sadly, “Takuto, I don’t… I don’t know how to make you forget… But we’ll think of something, okay? We’ll-”

She remembers something from Takuto’s notes. 

“By altering a subject’s cognition- by changing their heart-” Rumi recalled out loud, “any related trauma is eliminated.”

_“You must seek me!”_

“So, if I’m able to… if I’m able to change Takuto’s heart, I should be able to remove his trauma, and anyone else’s! I can save them!” Rumi exclaims triumphantly, absorbed in her resolve to save Takuto, too concerned with saving the man in front of her to even acknowledge the strange voice that now echoed freely in her head. 

_“Seek me… I am that who manifests thought itself. I shall echo your blasphemous fury with reality so that we may together change the world… Now, call me forth!”_

“I will,” Rumi cried desperately, “I will! Please, whoever you are, lend me your strength! Help me save the man I love! Let him live his life once again!”

Nothing happened, at first; and suddenly it was as if reality shook around her, warping incomprehensibly, until snapping back into the present. Rumi blinked, taken aback by the sudden sensation. What… what had happened? Did it, what it was, work? 

Takuto wakes from his sleep.

“Takuto, Takuto!” Rumi gasps in surprise, almost choking her words as the familiar, kind glint she first fell in love with sparked in his eyes once more. It was too long for her to again feel joy once more, the last months a horrible, weighted slog of existence as the world dashed by her, Rumi once again able to allow herself some semblance as Takuto blinked curiously around his surroundings. It was a miracle. Azathoth had brought her Takuto back from his perpetual state of shock. 

Yet it was too soon that she realised that her wish had come at a price, as Takuto looked upon her face with the same unfamiliar curiosity that he had when he’d woken up. He blinked at her and furrowed his eyebrows.

“Hello… Miss?” he asked, too cautiously for her liking, yet she rationalised to herself that he was too dazed and disoriented for him to recognise her properly, his mind playing catch up from weeks of absence. 

“Takuto, it’s me,” Rumi said, her tone a plea for him to remember their shared love, gesturing to herself by pressing her hand onto her chest, “It’s me, it’s Rumi,”

“Rumi...” Takuto almost slurred her name out loud, rolling each syllable on his tongue, as if the name itself was foreign to him. His expression narrowed to one of concentration as his eyes drifted down onto his lap. Rumi inched forward in her seat, patiently waiting for him to remember her, yet her eager smile turned into a disappointed frown when he shook his head, “I’m sorry, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else,”

Rumi could physically feel her heart shatter. 

“I’ve just had surgery,” he said, absentmindedly ignoring the slow disbelief and horror that crept onto Rumi’s pale face, “Cycling accident. I’m a clutz, so I get hurt pretty often, and unfortunately, I managed to somehow crash into a fence and broke a couple of bones. I lost my parents when I was quite young, and I lived with my grandparents before coming into the city for a University degree in Psychology. I’m actually finished with my recovery, so I’m happy that I’m finally going home today,”

Rumi looked at him with shock, her face paled, her hands shook as she balled them into fists. 

“Takuto,” Rumi said, “Takuto… you… you’ve… I...”

Did… did that voice… do this? Rumi wasn’t sure, even if Takuto was in front of her, looking at her with the brown eyes she loves so, so much. Yet, there was no mistaking it, while Takuto did come out of his stupor, he… he forgot her. It was as if his entire history was rewritten. She…it didn’t matter… What mattered to her then was that Takuto was okay.

Takuto looked at her with concern, his eyes churning her stomach. 

“Miss, are you alright?”

“I’m,” she swallowed her nervousness and disbelief, putting on a facade of happiness as she continued to address him, “I’m sorry, I must have had the wrong Takuto, I must have not looked where I was going,” she laughed as she stood up from his chair, giving him a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck, “I’m such a clutz as well haha, always having my head in the clouds!”

“Oh,” Takuto smiled, that innocent smile that tugged the strings. He was smiling but, what happened if he relapsed? She needed to go, but she didn’t want to look away, “Is he a friend?”

“Boy...friend,” Rumi answered forcefully as she choked back a sob, “He’s sick as well, and...”

“You should go to him,” Takuto said as he flashed a smile, and Rumi wanted to cry right there, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me,”

Rumi could only nod, her mouth left agape as she turned on her heel and opened the door behind her. 

“One more thing,” Takuto said, and Rumi turned to face him, yet she was reluctant to meet his eyes, “I know this is forward of me to ask but, may we meet again? I’ve enjoyed our meeting and would love to get a coffee with you; platonically, of course,”

“I… I don’t think so,” Rumi almost heaves the words out of her throat, her fingers tapping on the ajar door, “I’m very busy right now, sorry. He died not long ago… I’m sorry,”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Takuto apologises, “But, it was nice to meet you. Please take care of yourself, and send my regards to his family,” he smiled melancholy at her, and she weakly smiled in turn, vomit rising from her throat. Spilling into the hallway she lethargically wandered towards the exit of the hospital, barely making eye contact with the various nurses and doctor she passed. The whole world around her felt it like it turned mute, colours that were once vibrant now dull. 

She did not recall when she finally made it back to her apartment she once shared with Takuto, throwing herself onto her couch. She had no idea how much time passed, she lied there, staring at the blank ceiling above. It was sunset when she finally allowed herself to cry.

* * *

Rumi sat across the downtrodden girl, her hands resting on the clipboard that was placed on her lap as she waited for Sumire Yoshizawa to speak. Sunlight shone through the windows beside them, illuminating the bowl of sweets that sat on the round table, Rumi seeing Sumire’s gaze shifting between them and her feet as her face hid behind the bangs of her long, red hair. 

Her sister had died in front of her, Rumi was informed by her grieving father as he ushered her into the room. An accident with a speeding car at the crossroads of Shibuya, where her sister had pushed her away from getting hit. It had caused Sumire to retreat into her shell, eyes empty, barely eating and drinking, and her father was desperate not to lose another child. 

Rumi herself was aware as to why her father sought her out specifically to treat his near-catatonic daughter. After Takuto’s recovery - his change of heart - Rumi went on to use her powers to help people, to ease their trauma, practising her ability to shift the attitudes and personalities with the help of her newfound friend. Her reputation grew with each heart she changed, a rate of success never seen before for a fresh hire, but Rumi did not care. 

Rumi shifted in her seat, uncrossing her legs as Sumire fixated on the table in front of her. Silence returned between them. Neither of them said a word. 

“Hello, Sumire Yoshizawa,” Rumi started, breaking the tension between the both of them, yet the girl did not appear to shift her gaze, “It’s very nice to meet you. My name is Dr Tanaka, and I’ll be your counsellor,”

Sumire merely nodded in acknowledgement. 

“Thank you for coming to see me today,” Rumi continued, trying to stir conversation out from the troubled teen before her, “I really appreciate it,”

“Thank you… for seeing me… in the first place,” Sumire spoke just above a whisper, her voice hesitant, still avoiding eye contact with Rumi, “Though I don’t quite know what to talk about…To be honestly, I only came here because my parents wanted me to be here...”

“It’s okay,” Rumi assured her, voice comforting as she settled her clipboard onto the table, “It’s hard to talk about what’s troubling you, I certainly don't expect for you to trust me with something so personal,”

Sumire did not respond. 

“How about we just, chat?” Rumi offered, “Until your time’s up, of course,”

“...Chat?” Sumire mumbles. 

“Yeah, about anything you’d like. It can be about anything, school, boys, any TV shows that are currently on… Oh! And I’ve got some snacks for us to share if you like! Plenty of snacks, so feel free to help yourself with them,”

Sumire stares at the bowl of sweet in front of her. 

“Do you like to cook?” Rumi piqued up, “I do, a lot. It usually takes my mind off things after a long day of work. The other day I saw a great deal on some apples, and they looked amazing too! So, I bought some to make an apple dish, just to mix it up you know?”

Sumire did not respond. 

“But, the result was… not that good,” Rumi laughs awkwardly, continuing her tale, yet her eye flickered observantly towards Sumire, “Tried some other sweet and savoury combinations in the form of some European dishes, but those didn’t turn out so great as well...”

“Apples do make for good ingredients,” Sumire replied, and Rumi snapped to attention as the girl in front of her talked, “If you grate them, you can make a surprisingly versatile sauce. I use the fruit in plenty of my dishes when I can. It’s pretty nutritious and good for digestion.”

“You cook as well, Yoshizawa-san?” Rumi inquired, relieved that she was able to get the girl to talk, “And I’m impressed that you care a lot about nutrition at your age. Most teenagers seem to be eating a lot of junk food and pre-processed meals everywhere I look… not that I blame them, of course,”

“It’s fine,” Sumire sighed, “I’m a gymnast. My coach has told me more than once to be conscious of everything I eat,”

“How amazing,” Rumi praised her, yet Sumire’s expression did not change, “You must be really dedicated with practice. How is it going for you lately?”

Sumire winced at the mention of her practise. 

“It… has been rough lately,” Sumire admits, something Rumi couldn’t blame her for. Grief was something hard and heavy; to see a loved one perish right before your eyes. Rumi knew how it felt, “It’s nothing I can’t handle, but...”

Sumire takes a minute for herself. 

“It’s not going well,” she said, her voice forceful as if coughing out her admittance, “I… I don’t even know what I want to do anymore,”

“I’m… I’m sorry to hear that, Sumire,” Rumi apologises to Sumire, her eyebrows knitted together with a sympathetic expression, “Do you still enjoy gymnastics?”

“I’m… I’m not even sure of that. My older sister… Kasumi… and I made a promise… We’d both compete and win the biggest gymnastics awards in the world… But...”

She again looked away from Rumi. 

“She… passed away...” she swallowed, “She… protected me from a car...”

The incident. Rumi was aware, yet it was utterly heart-breaking to see the tears welling from Sumire’s eyes, her wide eyes. Her terrible, wide eyes as she leaned forward, now hiding her face from Rumi. 

“I can’t, I can’t do it anymore, I can’t do this anymore, I can’t go on like this,” Sumire started to sob. The way her voice wailed, the tears down her framed eyes… Rumi gripped the frills of her lab coat... It was like Takuto all over again, “If Kasumi were here instead, I know she’d make her dream come true, only Kasumi could have done it, no matter how long I try to compete, it’s not going to change anything, it’s not going to...”

Sumire took a deep breath, hastily wiping the tears that rolled down her cheeks. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, unconsciously tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Please don’t apologize, you did nothing wrong, Sumire,” Rumi assured her, wanting to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Sometimes we just need to vent about our feelings, it’s perfectly natural to want to relieve bottled emotions; especially when dealing with a loss of a lost one,”

“Yeah,” Sumire mumbled, “It’s just… I can’t really deal with anything anymore. I can’t just go on, living like this. I’ve been feeling like this for a long time; everything I do, even when Kasumi was still...”

She chokes another sob. 

“If Kasumi were here instead, I know she’d make her dream come true… Only Kasumi could achieve it. No matter how long I try to compete, it’s not going to change anything,”

Sumire looks at Rumi. 

“I’m sorry,” she apologises again. 

“It’s alright,” Rumi smiles comfortingly at her, “I don’t judge, and I’m glad that you’re able to at least confide with me what’s troubling you,”

Sumire looks down again. 

“It’s just...” she starts, her gaze wandering, her voice trailing, “I…. I sometimes can’t help but think that… things would’ve been better if I was my sister… if I was Kasumi Yoshizawa… After all, just wishing to make her dream come true does nothing for her in real life... considering she’s...”

“You want to make her sister’s dream come true, huh?” Rumi muttered to herself in thought. Maybe…

She turned to smile at Sumire.

“I can see where you’re coming from, Yoshizawa,” Rumi said as she leaned back in her chair, “And really? Wanting to become someone else isn’t an entirely bad thing,”

“You… you think so?” Sumire asked with a confused expression. 

“Of course! Everyone has the ability to change themselves - the only limit is your imagination! By imitating the actions of another person - asking yourself ‘what would this person do’ in a given situation - helps you better emulate them! Thought exercises that utilise this can lead to people eventually becoming like the target person themselves,”

Rumi leans closer to Sumire. 

“Can you still imagine what your sister was like?”

“Yes...” Sumire said. 

“Well, if your sister were in your shoes, what do you think she’d do?”

“Well, she wouldn’t cry,” Sumire started as she shook her head, “and if she had to, she’d just practice more instead...”

Sumire’s voice drifted into silence. 

“Dr Tanaka...” her voice wavered, “I want… I want to become Kasumi,”

“I know, Sumire. And I’m sure you can, too! You just have to believe in yourself,”

Rumi could feel Azathoth in her heart. Her… friend… stirred. Sumire closed her eyes, reality flashed before her eyes, the familiar twisting and warping feeling around her subsided as fast as it came. 

Kasumi’s eyes suddenly fluttered open. The light that flickered in them complimented her smile. She seemed happier; much happier. 

“Are you feeling any better?” Rumi asks the girl, yet she felt that she knew the answer as Kasumi nodded happily. 

“Yes!” Kasumi exclaimed, “I feel like a weight’s been lifted off of me!”

Rumi smiled. 

“You’re amazing, Doctor!” 

“I’m happy to help,” Rumi smiled, watching as Kasumi reached for her bag, “It seemed like my counselling approach did some good,”

Kasumi zipped opened her bag, reaching for something inside of it. She took out a ribbon and scooped some of her red hair, before tying it into a ponytail. She took off her glasses. And smiled at Rumi. 

“Thank you again, Dr Tanaka. I’m not sure how to put it, but… I feel like I’ve been reborn all over again,”

“I’m glad to hear it, Yoshizawa!” Rumi said, “Now if you need anything else, or something else comes up, please don’t hesitate to come into my office, okay? We can just even have a chat, like today! And please feel free to have some snacks,”

“Thank you, Dr Tanaka. I would like to actually pick up from where we left off, talking about-”

Kasumi’s eyes suddenly widened in shock. 

“Is something the matter?” Rumi inquired worryingly.

“It’s just that… now that I think about it… I’m not any good at cooking!” Kasumi laughed, “I don’t know why I said those things earlier. My younger sister’s the one who was really great at it,”

Rumi’s smile grew wider, admiring the work she’d done in front of her. 

* * *

Rumi settled into the small sofa that sat in front of a small coffee table, pulling her lab coat inwards, the pendant that Takuto had given her clung proudly around her neck. She had to get used to the sharp smell of disinfectant that permeated throughout the relatively small room, her eyes scanning the various labels of bottles that were locked in the cabinet beside her. She had tried to make the room more comforting; her favourite sweets, one of the only things she had left of Takuto, sat on top of the table before her. The stark, buzzing lights above reflected against the multicoloured plastic, Rumi unconsciously reaching for them, before she motioned a delicate hand to the piping hot tea in front of her instead. 

Shujin Academy. The school had purposely reached out for her as she left her old position, wanting to broaden her horizons and helped more people, especially the current youth of today. Her meeting with Sumire - now Kasumi - had opened her eyes on the mental health needs of the teenagers that inhabited the city; how oppressive the curriculum had become, and how many teenagers were drowning in their own depression and grief, most reaching the point of no return until they never realised it until they were suddenly teetering at the edge of a building. 

Shiho Suzui, the catalyst of her prompt interview and hiring, the girl who had sent the school’s administration scrambling to find a counsellor, resulting in her immediate interview and hiring. 

It was evident that the school only hired her to save their reputation, having heard about the abuse the volleyball team had to endure under the hands of an ex-Olympian Volleyball Coach, Suguru Kamoshida. Though she wasn’t aware of it back then, only hearing whispers about how a poor girl threw herself off the school roof intending to die, the revelation made her gag. How could abuses so severe be brushed under the rug? 

The truth wasn’t the only thing that spurred her to take the job, rumours had been circulating about a vigilante group that slinked around the school that travelled among students as she wandered the halls towards her new office, a group only known as the Phantom Thieves. They had targeted Kamoshida if the rumours were to be believed; the ones who stole something from him… a ‘treasure’... one to enact a ‘change of heart’. She almost wished she was there to see the aftermath, as students regularly commented on how the man was reduced to a wailing, sobbing mess in front of the school, begging for forgiveness, wanting to end his life there and then. It was a sort of poetic justice when one of his victims, Ann Takamaki, called him out for being the coward he was. 

But she didn’t trust them. Yes, they had enacted justice for those who needed it, but who’s to say that it was merely a facade to placate the public? To trick them into letting their guard down, before enacting crimes? Rumi did not trust this facade of vigilante justice, the word ‘thief’ alone soured her perspective towards them. Thieves, that work to bring the law unto the lawless? An oxymoron, their true intentions as murky as their identities. 

Though she had her suspicions. On coming out from her interview, clambering down the steps she saw a sight that left her startled; three teenagers, students from the school appearing out of thin air, all huddled together around a phone in an alleyway. She managed to walk away before they saw her, the woman dazed and confused, and ever since witnessing such an event she pondered to herself: did those kids have the same powers she did?

She shook her head. It didn’t matter; what mattered to her the most was her need to save them from misery, to save them from pain and cruelty, and to ensure that crime on a wider scale was eradicated from the World. No one should suffer the same fate she did, the same grief Takuto and Sumire had to endure. She had Azathoth, had the power to change reality, and she had few scraps of Takuto’s notes hidden away, to be developed upon, to be used to achieve her own goal. 

Rumi looked down at her clipboard. There were students she was told by the Principle himself to look out for, mostly ones that suffered under the hands of Kamoshida. There were three kids that stood out to her; they were the same ones that appeared spontaneously into existence that day in the alleyway in front of the school. The first one: an ex-track member named Ryuji Sakamoto; his dyed blond hair evident in the semi faded picture she had of him. The second one: Ann Takamaki; a victim of Kamoshida’s abuse and a friend of Shiho Suzui, the girl who jumped off the roof (and Rumi felt sympathetic towards her). And the third one: a transfer student currently on probation, Ren Amamiya; the delinquent. 

Her gaze lingered at Amamiya’s portrait. His hair curled wildly upon his head, grey eyes staring at her behind thick-framed glasses. A delinquent… she would have to keep a close eye on him, she can’t allow him to spiral into a life of crime, she can’t allow him to become a criminal, like those thieves, those thieves turned murderers, who killed Takuto’s parents, who killed her Takuto… 

Hearing the room’s door open snapped Rumi back into attention. She looked up to see sheepish grey eyes stare back at her. It was as if looking at Amamiya’s portrait had summoned him, the boy blinked sheepishly behind the door, his head poking out, wild hair sticking out in all directions. 

“Excuse me,” he inquired politely, “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, not at all,” Rumi exclaimed, gesturing towards the seat in front of him, “Come on in!”

Her plan was in motion. Amamiya sat in front of her, ready to talk, Azathoth stirred in her head, power sparked at the end of her fingertips. Her new project, Amamiya, was the final push she would need before she had the confidence to spread her power towards all of reality. To fix the heart of a delinquent child, meant that she could save him. She could save all the troubled youths of the world and beyond.

Whether they knew it or not, she was going to save them. 

She was going to save them all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment and a kudos!
> 
> Also, I apologise for copying/pasting dialogue from the game itself. I feel like especially with Sumire's lines things between her and Rumi would play out similarly to Takuto, yet I've tried to separate and make the lines 'my own' so to say. Plus, I barely had anything to work with Rumi since she's barely in the same for such a plot-critical character it's insane lmao.


End file.
